Michelle West, better known to her friends as Michelle Sagara,
was born in 1963, lives with her husband
and two children in Toronto, works at Bakka, Canada's oldest SF and fantasy
book store (along with her brother, Gary), and writes wonderful books.
She has been published as Michelle Sagara, Michelle West and,
occasionally, Michelle Sagara West. Twice a Campbell Award nominee
(1991 and 1992), she writes a periodic book review column,
Guilty Pleasures, for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

The second book of The Sun Sword is a gripping story about Valedan,
the hostage prince of Annagar. Valedan, son of the late Tyr'agar of Annagar
by a slave, enters the King's Challenge, the annual tournament in the
empire of Essalieyan. He seeks to use the Challenge, a kind of martial
decathlon, to prove himself to a people he has never known.

But Valedan faces more than the rigors of the Challenge. The
greatest hero of Annagar, Ser Anton di Guivera, has vowed revenge against
the house of Leonne, blaming the late Tyr'agar for the death of his wife
and son. Ser Anton, now an old man, brings a cadre of students to the
Challenge to show their superiority over the pampered, northern-raised
prince. At the same time, a group of demonic kialli is also out
for revenge for the di Leonne's role in resisting their attempt to take
over the southern kingdom a generation ago. In the midst of this, a
conflict of succession erupts within the house of Terafin, one of the
leading houses of the northern empire, distracting some of the possible
allies of the Leonne princeling. Valedan is beset by intrigue, competition,
supernatural threats, and trained assassins, all of which reveal unexpected
enemies and allies.

This work shows West to be a master of character and setting. The
city of Averlaan is no sketch or generic medieval background; the author
describes it with vivid color and with economy of language. The characters
leap to life quickly, in only a few lines of dialogue. It's a trifle
confusing, if only because there are so many unique characters interacting,
each with their own personality and objectives. A major plot thread, the
outcome of the House war, is left to the next volume, but the resolution of
the Challenge and the fate of Valedan comes to a head in these pages.

Having said that, one finds a few points to critique in this story.
It's all dreadfully serious; I can't recall a single instance of humour
throughout the novel. That could appeal to some readers, who may appreciate
the mood of crisis and angst. The character motivations are entirely too
local: they move by personal motives, personal loyalties, personal revenge.
There is very little sense of moral or ideological abstraction in the
motives of any character; this makes the plot more simple than the setting
might otherwise create. The viewpoint is close, yet diverse; the lack of
antecedents makes it difficult to keep track of who's speaking. On the
other hand, showing demonkind as primary characters with their own
viewpoints, goals, weaknesses, and society is a unique tack to take. Even
though she has room to continue growing, this author already has an
impressive arsenal of literary weapons.

The Uncrowned King is a fine example of epic
fantasy, showing the development of intense characters in a setting rich in
conflict and intrigue. Michelle West is becoming an important contributor
to the fantasy genre. Fans will look forward to her upcoming works, both in
The Sun Sword series and other settings.

Alexander von Thorn works two jobs, at The Worldhouse (Toronto's oldest game
store) and in the network control centre of UUNET Canada. In his spare
time, he is active in several fan and community organizations, including
the 'Toronto in 2003' Worldcon bid. He is also a game designer,
novelist-in-training (with the Ink*Specs, the Downsview speculative fiction
writing circle), feeder of one dog and two cats, and avid watcher of bad
television. He rarely sleeps.